How you calm yourself before giving a speech? Both modern research and centuries of experience from experienced（有经验的）public speakers suggest some practical（实用的）advice.

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Know to whom you'll be speaking, and learn as much about your audience（听众） as you can. The more you can expect the kind of reaction your listeners will have to your speech, the more comfortable you'll be in delivering your message. Be audience-centered rather than speaker-centered.

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    You will feel less nervous if you talk about something you are familiar with or have some personal experience of. Your comfort with the subject of the speech will be reflected in your delivery.

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    The better prepared you are, the less anxiety（焦虑）you will experience. Being prepared means that you have researched your topic and practiced your speech several times before you deliver it.

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    You are likely to feel the most nervous during the opening moments of your speech. Therefore, it is a good idea to have a clear plan for how you will start your speech. Being familiar with your introduction（介绍）will help you feel more comfortable about the entire speech. If you know how you will end your speech, you will have a safe harbor in case you lose your place. If you need to end your speech ahead of time, a well-delivered conclusion can permit you to make a graceful exit.

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    One of the symptoms(症状) of nervousness is a change in your breathing and heart rates. Nervous speakers tend to take short, shallow breaths. To help break the anxiety—reduce breathing pattern, consider taking a few slow deep breaths before you rise to speak.

A. Know your introduction and your conclusion(总结).

B. Channel（引导） your nervous energy.

C. Know your audience.

D. Use deep-breathing techniques.

E. Be prepared.

F. Select（选择）an suitable topic.

G. To talk with your friends before giving a speech.

    Maybe you have heard the expression—when in Rome, do as the Romans do. So when you want to do business in France, you have to get to know French culture, to make marketing plans, and to run your business by local laws.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}The French take great pride in their language, so anyone who does not speak it may run the risk of being disrespected by his French colleagues or business partners. Also, another reason why learning French is important is that it is a great way to show every possible French business partner that you care and respect their country's culture and language.

    The first thing you should do when meeting someone new is to shake his hand firmly and always look the person in the eye. In social meeting with friends, kissing is common.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}The French will sometimes introduce themselves using their surname first, followed by their first name.

    Dress well.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Your business clothing is a reflection of your success and social status. Always try to be tasteful and stylish. Women are advised to dress simply but elegantly. Wearing make­up is practised widely by businesswomen.

The French are passionate about food, so lunches are common in doing business in France, which usually consist of an appetizer, a main meal with wine, cheese, dessert and coffee, and normally take up to two hours.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Do not begin eating until the host says “bon appetite”. Pass dishes to the left, keep wrists above the table and try to eat everything on the plate.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} This may suggest that you find the food tasteless. If eating in a restaurant, the person who invites always pays.

A．The French draw information about people based on their appearance.

B．This is a time for relationship building.

C．Remember to be as polite as possible.

D．Language should be the focus of anyone planning to do business in France.

E．Be careful with adding salt, pepper or sauces to your food.

F．Use Monsieur or Madame before the surname.

G．Make an appointment with your business partner in advance.

Simple Ways to Build Trust

    The most valuable thing you can have is trust. When there is no trust, it becomes hard to get anything done. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Then think of another one with very little trust.

    Which one do you prefer?

    We can all be better off with more trust in our lives. And I'm going to show you a few things you can do to build trust.

    Be honest. Honesty is the basis of any relationship. Be true to your word and keep your promises. Share honest information, even if it's to your disadvantage.

    Ask open-ended questions.  {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Open-ended questions give your friends chances to tell you about themselves. Ask more questions based on the answers that you get.

    Don't be perfect. There's always something fishy(可疑的) about someone who seem to have everything going for them. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} This sends a message that you're not hiding anything and that you want to build trust.

    Say what you mean. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} When you build up a reputation of saying what you mean, people don't have to second-guess what you are trying to say. This helps you win trust.

    Don't blame others. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Be brave to take responsibility and then decide what you are going to do next. Don't waste the present thinking about the past which can't be changed. A person that doesn't blame gets the trust of others quickly.

A. If you think it's a bad idea, say so.

B. When things go wrong, don't point the finger at them.

C. Value long-term relationships more than short-term success.

D. Don't waste your energy hiding your mistakes or weaknesses.

E. Think of one of your relationships where there is a lot of trust.

F. Learn more about your friends and be interested in their answers.

G. Trust may be the most important part in successful relationships.

    Do arithmetic problems 15 through 25. State the different forms of the verbs on page 50 of your French workbook. Read pages 12 through 20 of the Shakespeare play, and don't forget to fill in the missing chemical symbols on the worksheet.

    Sound like a list of your homework for the next few nights—or maybe even just for tonight? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It's your teachers' way of evaluating how much you understand what's going on in class. And it helps strengthen important concepts.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It's inviting to start with the easy things to get them out of the way. However, you'll have the most energy and focus when you begin, so it's best to use this mental power on the subjects that are most challenging. Later, when you're more tired, you can focus on the simpler things. If you get stuck on a problem, try to figure it out as well as you can—but don't spend too much time on it because this can mess up your homework schedule for the rest of the night. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} But don't pick someone whom you'll be up all night chatting with, or you'll never get it done!

    Most people's attention spans(一段时间) aren't very long, so take some breaks while doing your homework. Sitting for too long without relaxing will make you less productive than if you stop every so often. Taking a 15-minute break every hour is a good idea for most people. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Once your homework is done, you can check over it if you have extra time. Be sure to put it safely away in your backpack—there's nothing worse than having a completed assignment that you can't find the next morning or that gets ruined by a careless brother or sister. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Now you're free to hang out.

A. In conclusion, no one is expected to stay long, and people have very different learning styles.

B. But if you're really concentrating, wait until it's a good time to stop.

C. If you need to, ask an adult for help or call or email a classmate for advice.

D. Luckily, you can do a few things to do less homework.

E. When you start your homework, deal with the hardest tasks first.

F. And no teacher still believes that “chewed by the dog” line—even when it's true!

G. Homework is a major part of going to school.

    With self-service facilities – supermarkets, to name one – beginning to appear all the time, we're now relying on integrity more than ever.

    Integrity – the quality of doing the right thing no matter if anyone is watching or not – has been highly valued in China since ancient times. And the phrase“立木取信”probably best explains how integrity works in the relationship between people and the ruling of a nation.

    This phrase comes from the Warring States period (475-221 BC), during which China wasn't yet a unified country and was constantly at war. States carried out reforms to make themselves stronger, with the most thorough and influential one being the reform of the State of Qin, introduced by statesman Shang Yang (395-338 BC).

    Shang's reform focused on farming and giving rewards to soldiers who fought hard during wars. But at first, people had little trust and confidence in Shang.

    So he decided to prove himself by putting a wooden pole at the south gate of the capital of Qin, offering those who took the pole to the north gate a reward of 10 gold pieces, before long raising it to 50. When a man did as he said, Shang paid him 50 gold pieces as promised. Word soon spread, and people began to realize that Shang was a man of his word. The reforms were finally pushed forward.

    Today, integrity still plays an important role in Chinese society, which is why it's included as one of the 12 core socialist values in China.

    China is also planning to build a social credit system by the year 2020, which will keep citizens' misbehaviors –- even minor traffic violations – on record, so that trust can be established among people.

    “Without a system, a conman can commit a crime in one place and then do the same thing again in another place. But a credit system puts people's past history on the record. It'll build a better and fairer society,” explained Wen Quan, a blogger who writes about technology and finance, to BBC News.

    Lots of people give you advice on overcoming (克服) fear. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}  However, I want to tell you that a world without fear would be more dangerous, less rewarding. So we want to treat fear as a friend？Here are three reasons. 

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Think about it. Do you get more nervous when you meet the girl (or guy) of your dreams？Which is more fearful, talking to the boss of your company or to some of your friends?{#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you didn't have fear to guide you, you might not know that! Not so bad, right？

    Next, fear encourages us to take action. Fear is a call to action. In the past, our ancestors (祖先) didn't run away in fear when they saw a tiger running toward them but tried to kill it for food. Now, most of us don't face serious danger like hungry tigers every day, but we do face serious bosses or public speaking. So, what can we do？{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Lastly, fear lets you know you are alive. Why do we like roller coasters (过山车)？{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Same for horror movies.

    So fear can guide you towards what's important for you and encourage you to take action to improve. Don't we all need that kind of friend？

A. Don't fear to be wrong.

B. It frightens us in a mostly safe way.

C. Imagine what life would be like without fear.

D. The first is that fear is an excellent guide to opportunity.

E. They say if you can overcome fear, you will be successful.

F. Let fear provide us with the energy to do what needs to be done.

G. Fear is showing you what is important and what matters to you.